Blessings In Disguise
by YellyBelly
Summary: When Cristian loses control of his temper, and begins to beat Natalie, will she turn to John, or will she withstand Cristian's abuse? JOLIE [Currently on hiatus due to severe writers block and lack of inspiration.]
1. Chapter 1

This story is mainly about "Jolie", with hints of Antonio and Jessica. It's the first Fan-Fic that I've ever written, so please give me lot's of feedback. Every author loves reviews!!

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of One Life To Live, all rights go to the brilliant creator of the show, Agnes Nixon.

Chapter 1

Natalie walked up the winding staircase of Llanfair, carrying a glass of cool water and a bottle of Aspirin for her husband's excruciating headache. On her way to the bedroom that she shared with Cristian, she bumped into her sister Jessica, spilling the water carelessly on the carpet.

"Damn It, Jess! Mom's going to have a fit." Natalie groaned.

"I'm sorry Nat, I wasn't really paying attention to where I was going." Jessica apologized. The young blonde went into the nearby bathroom and retrieved a towel. She knelt down on the ground and attempted to clean up the mess.

"Ah, it's okay, it's just water. I didn't mean to yell at you, it's just I've been really stressed out lately." Natalie explained.

"Are you still having trouble getting through to Cris?" Jessica asked.

"He insists that he doesn't need therapy, but everyday he seems to be slipping farther and farther away from me. He's a completely different person, and refuses to talk to anyone but me." Natalie sighed in exasperation.

"Antonio hasn't been able to convince him either?" Jessica wondered.

"I asked him to talk to Cris, I figured that if he would listen to anyone, it would be his own brother. Man, was I wrong. He just blows up at everyone who even mentions counseling, even mom. God, Jess I don't know what to do!"

Natalie sat down on the floor next to her concerned sister, she leaned her

head back against the wall and began to cry.

Jessica immediately put her arm around Natalie and hugged her close.

"Nat, it's going to be all right. Shh, don't cry." She soothed.

"His temper is completely out of control, he is enraged whenever I speak to other men, especially John. Cristian is really starting to scare me Jess." Natalie leaned her head on Jessica's shoulder and continued to sob quietly.

"NATALIE!" Cristian's deep voice came from the bedroom. Natalie quickly wiped the tears from her face and stood up.

"He's probably getting impatient, he's been waiting for this medicine for a while." Natalie held up the bottle of pills.

"Do you want me to bring it to him?" Jessica offered. Natalie shook her head. "No thanks Jess, I can handle it."

"Okay, well I'm heading out for a while. I'm going to meet Antonio and Jamie at the park for lunch," Jessica smiled. She and Antonio had been working on building their relationship back up, and were learning to trust each other again. "If you need me just give me a ring."

Natalie picked up the half-empty glass of water, and navigated herself to the room. She stopped at the door and took a deep breath; her arms shook as she opened the door to the bedroom. The door swung open, revealing an infuriated Cristian.

"Where the hell were you, I've been waiting for about ten minutes! You said you'd be right back." Cristian shrieked.

"I know...but I ran into Jess and we got to talking. I'm sorry it took me so long." Her hand quivered as she handed the drink and medication to Cristian.

Cristian angrily placed the glass and Aspirin on a coffee table, which was in

close proximity, raised his hand and smacked Natalie in the face. Natalie's hand flew to her face, tears streamed from her eyes.

"Oh, Nat I am SO sorry! Please forgive me baby, I didn't mean too. Please let me make it up to you?" Cristian reached for his frightened wife's arm, Natalie flinched, and stepped back.

Natalie stared at him; she was shocked that he would ever do anything to hurt her.

"You need help." Was all Natalie could muster, as she walked out of the room.

Please review, it would be greatly appreciated :0)


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Nothing's changed since the last chapter, I still do not own any part of OLTL, if I did I would be pretty lucky :0)

Chapter 2

As Natalie left the room, she felt warm blood trickle down the side of her face; she walked to the bathroom in a state of shock. Looking in the mirror Natalie noticed that the side of her lip was busted open. She washed the cut with a warm cloth, and then touched the tender sore.

The young redhead sat down on the toilet seat, and cried. _"How could he do this to me?"_ She thought to herself.

After crying for a lengthy period of time, she rose from where she was sitting and decided that she needed to get out of the house, to clear her head. Natalie looked in the mirror to exam her disheveled appearance.

"I look horrible." She muttered.

She hastily stepped into the shower, and turned on the hot water. The heat made her feel a little better. After freshening up, she changed into a pair of blue jeans, and pulled a black sweatshirt over her head. Natalie grabbed her purse, checked the hallway to make sure that Cristian was nowhere in sight, and then darted down the stairs and into her car.

She floored the car all the way to Roxy's. Before getting out of the car, Natalie remembered that the slit on her lip was still visible. She pulled a dark colored lipstick out of her purse and ran it over her lips a few times, applying a thick coat. When she was sure that the cut could no longer be seen, she stepped out of the car and entered The Salon.

Inside the Beauty Salon, Roxy sat in a pink chair, reading the latest issue of Cosmo. She looked up and saw Natalie walking through the front entrance.

"Hey Natty, here to get your nails done?" Roxy asked.

Natalie gave her a weak smile. "Do you think you can fit me in?"

"Of course, take a seat." Roxy motioned to an empty chair.

Natalie obliged.

"Do you want a manicure?"

"A French Manicure." Natalie confirmed.

"What's wrong Nat, you look upset." Roxy noticed.

"I'm just tired, I worked the late shift at Rodi's last night." Natalie lied.

"Well you just sit back and relax." Roxy suggested.

An hour later Roxy finished Natalie's nails, and Natalie left. Inside her car Natalie contemplated where to go next. She didn't want to go home just yet, she thought about meeting up with Jessica and Antonio at the park, but then decided against it. She didn't want to impose. Finally she drove to Carlotta's diner.

Inside the quaint little bistro, Natalie ordered a large mug of coffee and a bagel. As she sat, staring into her hot cup of coffee, she thought about her life, and everything that had happened in the past year. Suddenly she felt two balmy hands on her shoulders. She jumped in surprise, and then turned her head to see who was behind her.

What are you waiting for? Hit the review button, please! :-)


	3. Chapter 3

I would like to thank PCGirl for her very kind reviews!!

Disclaimer: Do you have to have one of these in each chapter? Oh well, in case you do, I obviously do not own OLTL.

Chapter 3

Natalie swiftly turned her head, to see that Cristian was the one behind her.

"Get your hands off of me." She said in a voice that was barely audible.

Cristian gradually took his hands off Natalie's shoulders, and sat down in the booth next to her.

"What are you doing here?" Natalie asked, once she regained her voice.

"I came looking for you, I want to apologize for earlier," Cristian replied. "Nat, you have no idea how sorry I am. I don't know what got into me, but I swear it will never happen again."

"Cristian, something horrible happened to you last year. I wish you would tell me what it was, I only want to help." Natalie said searching for the right words, so that Cristian would not become angry.

"Help, help, that's all anyone talks about, they say that I need to see a shrink, but **_I Don't_! "**Cristian stood from the booth and left the diner in a fury.

Natalie rested her head in her hands and let out a frustrated groan. Carlotta, who was standing at the other end of the room, had watched the entire scene unfold between the young couple. She hurried over to Natalie.

Natalie, what happened?" Carlotta questioned.

"I mentioned therapy again, and Cristian went crazy!" Natalie answered honestly.

"Ay-yi-yi, Dios Mio," Carlotta exhaled heavily. "Well don't worry, we'll all keep trying." Carlotta patted Natalie's hand gently.

"I should go check on him." Natalie said. She went to the front of the diner, paid for her food, then left.

Back at Llanfair Cristian sat behind the large mansion, nursing a beer. Just then Antonio and Jessica, who were taking a walk, strolled by him hand-in-hand. Cristian attempted to hide behind a tree, but Antonio spotted him.

"Hey, what are you doing little brother, playing hide-and-seek?" Antonio teased him playfully.

Cristian didn't find it amusing. "I was just sitting here, clearing my head."

"Cris, if that's true…then why is there an empty 6-pack behind the tree as well?" Jessica asked.

"Oh, um that…I don't know how it got there," Cristian stuttered inarticulately. "Maybe one of the gardeners left it behind?"

"I highly doubt that." Jessica murmured.

"Excuse me?" Cristian growled.

"Jess, let's go back to the house." Antonio suggested.

Jessica glared at Cristian suspiciously then took Antonio's arm and they headed toward the house.

Inside, Jessica and Antonio entered the living room, and were greeted by Natalie, who was residing on the couch.

"Hey you two. How was your lunch?"

"It was great." Jessica sat down on the couch, and put her arm around Natalie.

"Jamie loves the park." Antonio informed her.

"I bet she does." Natalie smiled.

"So what did you do today Nat?" Jessica wondered aloud.

"I went to Roxy's, had lunch at Carlotta's, and I ran into Cris while I was there."

"Is that a good thing?" Antonio wasn't sure what to say.

"He's been very petulant lately, to say the least." Natalie said.

"Oh trust me, we know." Jessica assured her.

"What does that mean?" Natalie asked.

"Cristian was in the backyard knocking down some beers." Antonio answered.

"Oh no," Natalie cried. "Is he drunk?"

"From what I could tell, he seemed completely wasted. He had downed a whole 6-pack!" Jessica solemnly told her sister.

"Damn It!" Natalie feared how he was going to treat her that night.

"Well, I've got to get home, but I'll see you tomorrow." Antonio kissed Jessica.

"Bye." Jessica squeezed his hand gently.

Once Antonio had left, the two sisters continued their conversation.

"Jess, he keeps refusing to get help, I don't even know what to do anymore." Natalie felt helpless.

"Maybe the doctor can prescribe him some medicine, or better yet, convince him to join a support group or anger management?" Jessica offered.

"No matter what the doctor says, Cristian is not going to listen." Natalie leaned into the couch.

"Maybe he'll come around?" Jessica tried t be optimistic, but deep in her heart, she knew that Cristian would never bet he way he used to.

Please review, and I promise to make the next chapter longer!!!


	4. Chapter 4

I would like to thank _PCGir_l and_ girlmeetsworld123_ for their very kind reviews!!

Disclaimer: Again, I do not own anything remotely related to OLTL.

Chapter 4

That night Jessica and Vikki sat at the kitchen table discussing the day's events.

"Mom, I'm really worried about Natalie. She's been acting really strange, and Cristian, well he's been a complete ass to her!" Jessica vented.

"I know honey, but I am not sure if we should interfere." Vikki consoled.

"I'm not going to just sit here and watch her fall apart." Jessica protested.

"Let's just give them some time to work things out, if Cristian gets worse then we'll impede." Vikki decided.

Upstairs, Natalie sat on her bed silently brushing her hair. Cristian sat on the other side of the bed flipping through his little black notepad that he would not let out of his sight. Once Natalie finished brushing her hair, she flicked off the bedroom light, and got under the covers. Cristian was still considerably intoxicated, and in a very foul mood.

"Why the hell did you turn off the lights? _I_ wanted them on!" Cristian snarled.

"_I_ am exhausted, and _I_ am the one who has to go into work early in the morning, so _I_ will chose when _I _got to bed." Natalie shot back.

"Don't use that tone with me!" Cristian grabbed her arm.

"Cristian, let go, you're hurting me!" She cried.

Cristian's grip on Natalie's arm tightened.

"STOP IT, I mean it Cris, it hurts!" Natalie tried to pull her limb away.

Cristian unwillingly let go of her arm. "Don't you ever talk to me like that again!" He threatened.

Natalie held her arm and winced in pain. Red fingerprints were indented in her arm, because Cristian had been wringing it so tightly.

"You promised that you would never do it again!" Natalie whimpered.

Realizing what he had done, Cristian took a step towards Natalie. "Oh, honey I am SO sorry! That—"…

Natalie cut him off. "That is the _last _time you ever touch me!" She quickly walked over to her dresser, pulled a pair of jeans over the nightgown she was wearing, and ran down the stairs.

Jessica had been lying on the living room couch working on an article for The Sun when Natalie came flying down the stairs. She hurriedly rose from her resting spot and ran after her sister, who was heading out the front door.

"Nat, Natalie, wait up! Where are you going?" Jessica followed her out the door and into the cold winter's night. She shivered and pulled her robe closer to her body.

Natalie was already in the process of unlocking her car when Jessica came up behind her.

"Natalie where are you going in the middle of the night? Did something happen?" Jessica asked.

"It's Cristian…we're through." Natalie managed to choke out the words, tears streamed down her face.

"Oh honey, come inside…tell me what happened." Jessica insisted.

"No, Jess just leave me alone." Natalie began to cry.

Jessica sighed. "Where are you going?"

"Somewhere…anywhere as long as I'm not near _him_." She opened the car door and got in.

Jessica reluctantly gave up, and went back inside the warm house.

"What did he do to her?" Jessica dashed up the stairs and pounded on the door of Natalie and Cristian's room.

Meanwhile Natalie drove into town, and parked her car in front of John's apartment. She ran into the building, and up the stairs and found herself knocking on his door. John had been lying in bed, halfway asleep, when he heard the knocking, and roused himself from bed.

He looked through the peak-hole of his bedroom door and after noticing that it was Natalie, he hastily opened it. Natalie's face was stained with tears, she looked like a wreck, and John noticed that her arm was slightly bruised. Natalie fell into his arms the second he had opened the door. John automatically wrapped his arms around her, and closed the door behind them.

"Natalie, what's wrong? What happened? Are you okay…did you get into an accident?" John searched for reasons why she would show up at his doorstep so late at night.

Once Natalie had gotten control of herself and had finally stopped crying, she slowly removed herself from John's arms and sat down on his bed. John followed her and sat down next to her.

"Nat, please tell me what's wrong. You're scaring me." John looked her straight in the eyes.

"Can I crash here for the night, please," Natalie asked. "I'll explain everything later."

"Of course you can, but Natalie I need to know what happened!" John repeated himself, like a broken record.

Natalie ignored his last comment, curled her legs up to her chest, and fell asleep.

Please, please, review! I'll post more tomorrow. Trust me the plot will get much more interesting. The story is just starting out a little slow.


	5. Chapter 5

I would like to thank _Nina26,_ _mcnat fan, & kaquelfan4ever, _for their very kind reviews!!

Disclaimer: Agnes Nixon owns the show, I don't. Obviously the characters aren't mine.

Chapter 5

The next morning Natalie woke with a start, after realizing that she wasn't at home in her comfortable bed. She quickly looked around the room for John and saw that he was lying on the floor in a sleeping bag. A pang of guilt hit her, she had shown up at John's doorstep late at night, and had practically forced him to sleep on the floor. After making sure that he was sound asleep, she crept into his exceptionally diminutive bathroom, and stepped into the shower. Her back ached from sleeping on such an uncomfortable mattress all night long, but she was not about to complain, because it was better then having to be alone in a room with Cristian. Natalie cautiously turned the faucet until she was satisfied with the temperature of the water. As she was turning it, the faucet let out a loud squeak.

"Damn It, McBain don't you ever clean this rusty thing?"

Lucky for Nat, John was a heavy sleeper and was not disturbed by the noise. After taking the fastest shower of her life, she dried herself with a towel that was resting on a hanger. She was about to hang it back up to dry when she caught a whiff of it. It smelled just like the cologne John wore, it was his signature scent. Natalie held the towel to her face and inhaled the scent. A few minutes later she was dressed and quietly tip-toed out of the bathroom and back into the tiny apartment. John was still asleep. Natalie smiled. John's hair was sticking up, most likely from having a restless night's sleep, and she thought he looked adorable. She quickly scolded herself for having such wishful thoughts.

"_Stop it Natalie, you're married."_ She muttered under her breath. Yet she couldn't help but yearn for John to wrap his strong arms around her and fix all of her problems, the way he did before Cristian returned from the "dead".

Natalie glanced at John one more time, before silently slipping out of his room. After making sure that Roxy was nowhere in sight, she made her way to her car and drove home to Llanfair. Inside the mansion, Viki sat in a chair at the kitchen table, sipping a cup of coffee, while Jessica paced back and forth anxiously waiting for Natalie to return.

"Jess, why don't you sit down? You've been staring out the window since you woke up." Viki suggested.

"Mom, Natalie ran out of the house late last night, claiming that her marriage to Cristian was over. I can't help worrying about her." Jessica cried.

"I just wish I knew what happened. Do you think they got into a fight?" Viki asked.

"They must have, but Nat looked petrified. Something really horrible must have happened. I tried talking to Cristian, but he just bolted the door shut and told me to go away!" Jessica had no idea what to do next.

"Do you think she spent the night at Roxy's?" Viki tried to think of all the possible places her daughter could have gone.

"I already called her, she said that Natalie wasn't there." Jessica answered her worried mother's question.

"If she's not back within the hour, I'm calling Bo." Viki declared.

All of a sudden an idea hit Jessica. "Maybe she's at John's?"

"I thought that he was dating Evangeline Williamson?" Said Viki.

"He is, or at least…I think he is. But I doubt that would stop Natalie from going to him for help." Jessica replied.

Just then they heard the front door open and close, Jessica and Viki rushed to the foyer.

"Natalie honey, we were _so_ worried about you!" Viki enveloped her daughter in a tender hug.

"Where were you?" Jessica wanted to know.

"It doesn't matter, I'll be fine. Where's Cristian?" Natalie inquired.

"Why he's upstairs in your bedroom." Viki responded.

"Thanks mom." Natalie ran up the stairs, and carefully pushed open the door to her bedroom.

Cristian was sprawled out on the bed flipping through his mysterious black notebook. He looked up and saw Natalie glaring at him.

"Hey you, where did you go last night?" Cristian asked.

Natalie was outraged. "You've got some nerve pretending as if nothing happened!"

"Oh come on Nat, I was a little tipsy and I swatted your arm. You can't honestly, still be mad at me, babe?" Cristian acted nonchalant.

"I want you out of my house, _now_!" She retorted.

"Natalie what is going on with you, you're going to ruin our marriage because I made a few innocent mistakes?" Cristian said.

"Innocent? My God, Cris you knew exactly what you were doing. I am not going to let you hurt me again," Natalie protested. "If you don't _get out now, _I'm going to call the police."

"Oh, now I see where all of this is coming from," Cristian accused. "You want to get rid of me so you can be with Johnny boy 'eh? Well that's just too damn bad, 'cause I'm not going anywhere!"

"Fine, I guess we'll have to do this the hard way." Natalie left the room and went back downstairs, where her mother and sister sat waiting for her.

"Nat, what's going on…we heard screaming!" Jessica exclaimed.

"I'll explain everything in detail later, right now I need your help with getting Cristian out of the house. He refuses to move." Natalie reached for the phone.

"Who are you calling?" Jessica asked.

"Uncle Bo." Natalie answered.

"Wait a minute, Natalie. Why get the police involved?" Viki was confused.

Natalie put the phone down. "Fine, I might as well tell you now. You have to promise not to lose your cool though."

"We promise." Jessica was eager to hear her sister's news.

Natalie struggled to find the right words; it still hurt her to admit that her "loving" husband was so violent.

"Cristian—he…well you see--, he's been hitting me." Natalie confessed.

"Oh My God." Viki spoke softly. She reached for her daughter's hand and squeezed it gently.

"What did he do to you?" Jessica was fuming mad.

Natalie wiped the dark red gloss off her lips, revealing a nasty cut and a rather swollen looking lip, then she held up her badly bruised arm.

"Oh, my poor baby." Viki began to cry.

"Mom, please don't cry. It's not that bad." Natalie tried to comfort her mom.

"Not that bad, _NOT THAT BAD_," Jessica repeated her sister. "It's horrendous, Natalie, it's a crime!"

"Calm down," Natalie whispered. "Mom's upset enough as it is."

Jessica picked up the phone. "I'm calling 'Tonio, and then Uncle Bo. I want you to call Nora."

"Nora? What for?" Natalie replied.

"You'll need a lawyer to settle your divorce." Jessica logically explained.

Jessica continued with her phone call, while Natalie used her cell-phone to call her soon-to-be lawyer.


End file.
